BERNARD THOMPSON

THOMPSON, Bernard G. "Bernie"

Age 85, of Centerville, OH, passed away on June 14, 2022. Bernie was born on March 24, 1937, to the late Roy G. and Charlotte R. (nee Schultz) Thompson, in Chicago, IL. He grew up in the Chicago area, attending the University of Illinois first at Navy Pier, Chicago and later transferring to U of I's main campus downstate in Champaign-Urbana. There Bernie met his future wife, Karen Ann Lemme, at a campus mixer over a ping-pong table. Bernie graduated from the University of Illinois with a master's in electrical engineering and began a career at IBM in Lexington, Kentucky. After following IBM to Colorado, he and Karen eventually returned to their Midwest roots and settled in Kettering in 1981. There Bernie worked at KODAK before retiring to devote his teaching talents to the Ohio Mathematics Science Project Discovery. Later in life, Bernie found love again with his partner, Christina Addison, who through a shared love of traveling, the arts, and each other's company brought unexpected joy to his later years. Preceded in death by his beloved wife Karen, his brother Dennis, and his sister Charlene. Bernie is survived by sons, Brian (Kim), Scott (Jenny Stein), Derek (Cyndi); daughter Sarah (Shaun) Hunter; sister Carol; nine grandsons; four great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and friends. Bernie's family will greet friends at 10:00am on July 16, 2022, at St. Leonard's Catholic Church, 8100 Clyo Rd., Centerville, OH 45458. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00am following the visitation. The family would like to thank Hospice of Dayton for their exceptional compassion and care. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Math & Science Initiative (www.nms.org) or the Jim McCutcheon scholarship fund at Wright State University. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be made at www.routsong.com.